Chair.



s. BATTAGLIA."

CHAIR. 7 APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28. 1916.

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CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2B. 1916.

1,21 1,909., Patnted Jan. 9, 1917.

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S. BATTAGLIA.

CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28. 1916.

Patented Jan. 9,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- 4 mlnllllllllllll WEEEV -four supporting SALVATORE BATTAGLIA, or oHIoAGo, ILLINOIS.

CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, '191 '7.

Application filed February 28, 1916. Serial No. 80,784.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that-I, SALVATORE BATTAGLIA,

a subject of the King of Italy, residing. at

Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of provide a chair which, when being used as a rocker, will have the external appearance of the ordinary rocking chair, there being no visible parts to indicate that the chair is other than the common type of rocker, but which, by the simple operation of pressing a button, may be quickly converted from a rocker into a straight chair having four points of support.

Another object of my invention is to provide a chair of the above nature in which the auxiliary supporting legs are formed from sections of 4 the rockers themselves, bodily movable vertically to form two of the points When'the chair is to be converted into a straight'chair.

Another object of my invention is to provide such a chair in which the weight of the occupant is utilized in. transforming the chair from a rocln'ng chair to a straight chair, the latch release permitting this change being conveniently located on one arm of the chair in the form of an inconspicuous button.

Other and further objects of my invention will become apparent to those skilled in v V 19 19 whichare hingedly connected, as at 20, to their forward ends at the front cross the art from a consideration of the following description and drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved chair with the back inclined rearwardly to an inclining position and the legs being positioned for use as a straight chair.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the middle of the chair. Fig. 3 is a a plan view with the seat and back cushions removed. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line of Fig.2. Fig.v 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig- 3. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional View on the line 8-8 of Fig.

The chair resembles very closely in appearance the usual form of rocking chair having seat, sides, and-inclined back. Each rocker,'ho wever, is formed in two parts, the rear sections being vertically movable to that when moved downwardly out of register with the forward portions of the rockers, they form rear legs which cooperate with the front portions of the rocker to give a rigid, steady, straight chair support. The movement of the rear rocker sections is produced by a slight upward or downward movement of the seat structure about a pivotal axis near the front edge, a manually controlled latch being provided to lock the seat in either upper or lower position.

In the particular embodiment of my invention which'I- have illustrated, the frame work or body portion of the chair comprises a boX-like'frame having side members 10-10 and end members 11, with vertical front legs 1212 and rear legs 1313. Arm rests 14 join the upper ends of the legs 12 and 13. g

The rockers of the chair are divided into two sections, the forward section 15 being mounted and carried at the lower ends of the legs 12, 13 and the rear sections 16 which join the front sections directly at the rear of the legs 13 are carried on vertical posts 17 which are dove-tailed into the legs 13 to permit vertical sliding movement with respect thereto. A cross brace 18 joins the posts 17 and provides a connection with the operating mechanism by means of which the rear rocker sections 16 are raised or lowered.

The seat of the chair is carried upon two longitudinally extending parallel rails member 11 of the chair body. The cushion 21 rests upon a box-like frame 22, the sides of which are carried on the rails 19. A pair of metal plates 23 are screwed to the inner sides of the rails19 at the rear ends and extend rearwardly into recesses 24 formed in the cross bar 18, the extreme rear ends of the plates 23 having heads 25 formed thereon. Plates 26 overlie the openings 24, the apertures 27 formed in each plate26 being sufiicient to receive the body of the plate 23, but retaining the head within the recess 24. By means of this connection it is obvious that downward movement of the seat will cause downward movement of the rear rocker sections 16 and upward movement of the seat will cause upward movement of the rocker sections 16 into register with their complementary sections 15. p I

In order to lock the seat and consequently the rear rocker sections in either of their two extreme positions I have provided a latch mechanism mounted upon a longitudinal board 28 which extends between the end members 11-11. Secured to the upper face of the board 28 are a pair of parallel plates 29-29 between which the plate 30, bolted at its ends, as at 31, to the side rails 19, is free to pass. The plates 29 are perforated, as at 32, to receive a latch bolt 33, which, when the seat is in its upper position, underlies the edge of the plate, 30 and looks it in raised position. When the latch is removed and the seat moved downwardly, an opening 3 1: in the plate 30, registers with the openings 32, and. the insertion of the bolt 33 looks the seat in this latter position. The base of the latch bolt 33 is flattened out, as at 35, for sliding connectionwith the board 28, a slot and bolt guide 36 being provided. A spring 37 is connected with the bolt to normally hold it in its engaged position.

In one arm of the chair, I have provided a vertical opening 38 through which a rod carrying on its upper end a button 39 passes, its lower end being provided with a wedge member 10, which is normally spring held in its upper position by means of the coil spring 41. A lever 42 pivoted, as at 13, is pin. connected at H, to the sliding latch plate 35, its other end being positioned for engagement with the reciprocatable wedge 4-0. hen the button 39 is depressed, the wedge 10 will throw the outer end of the lever 42, rearwardly, causing its opposite endto move forwardly sliding the, latch bolt 33 out from engagement with the plate 30, releasing the seat for vertical movement in either direction. 7

It is obvious that the weight of the occupant alone is sufiicient to lower the rear portion of the seat and consequently drop the rear section 16 of the rocker to straight chair position. To secure the reverse movement I have provided two pairs of links 42, 43, the former of which are pivoted at their upper ends, as at 4A, to the side rails 19, the

adjacent ends of the links being pivotally connected together and the lower end of the links is pivoted as at 15 to the stationary sides of the box portion of the'chair. Coiled springs 46 are connected at one end to the lugs 17, carried by one-of the links in each.

pair near their pivotal connection and at their other ends 48, to the cross rail 11. The

tendency of the springs isto. pull the links into vertical condition, consequently raising the rear portion of the seat to its horizontal position.

The rear or back rest of the chair comprises a pa r of side bars 50, joinedat suitable intervals by the cross bars 51. The lower ends of the side bars 50 carry offset plates 53 which are perforated to receive the pivotal pins 52, carried by the vertical rear legs 13. A metal post 54L passes down through the centers of cross bars 51 of the back and at its lower end is inclined forwardly and downwardly to a point 55 where it receives the forward end of a heavy coiled spring 56, the rear end of which is connected, as at 57, to. the stationary cross piece 11. The tendency of the spring 56 is to hold the back in elevated position or to counter-balance the weight of the user and permit adjustment of the back to any desired degree of inclination.

A foot rest 58 is carried by the sliding rails 59 which pass under the front of the chair and rest upon guide plates 60.

In operating the chair it is obvious that normally it may be maintained in the position shown in Fig. 2 with the rear rocker sections 16 elevated to have their lower surfaces correspond to the curvature of the forward rocker sections 15. When in this position, the chair serves as a rocking chair and the seat is locked in its elevated position by the latch bar 33 passing beneath the plate 30. When the operator desires to convert the chair into a straight, non-rocking chair, it is necessary simply to press the button 39 in the arm of the chair, releasing the latch bolt 33 which permits the weight of the user to swing the seat downwardly carrying with it the rear rocker sections which will then occupy the position shown in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 2. If the reverse operation is desired, the latch is again pressed to release the slide bolt from engagement with the aperture 34: in the plate 30 and on the operator raising himself slightly in the chair the spring 416 will raise the rear rocker sections up into other elevated position, converting the chair once more into the regular rocking chair. Either change may be made without the operator leaving the chair.

' Whereas I have illustrated and described a particular embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I-Iaving described my invention what I claim is 1. The combination with a convertible chair, of a rocker member comprising two parts, one .of which is bodily movable vertically independently of the other part.

2. The combination with a convertible chair, of a rocker member comprising two parts, one of which is bodily movable vertically independently of the other part, and means for locking the movable part in either of its two eXtremepositions.

3. The combination with a convertible arm chair, of a rocker member comprising two parts, one of which is vertically movable independently of the other part, means for locking the movable member in either of its two extreme positions, and means located pn kan arm of the chair for releasing said.

4. In a convertible chair, the combination of four legs, a pair of rocker members each comprising two parts, the forward part being carried by the four legs, and posts slidably connected with the rear legs and rigidly secured to the rear rocker parts.

5. In a convertible chair, the combination of four legs, a pair of rocker members each comprising two parts, the forward part being carried by the four legs, posts slidably connected with the rear legs and rigidly secured to the rear parts of the rockers and means for locking said posts in either of their extreme positions.

6. In a convertible chair, the combination of a body part, rocker members, auxiliary legs carried by the body part of the chair and vertically movable with respect thereto, a seat movable with respect to the chair, a connection between a movable part of the seat and the auxiliary legs, and means for locking the seat from movement with respect to the body part.

7 In a convertible chair, the combination of rocker members carried thereby, auxiliary legs carried by the rear of the chair and vertically movable with respect thereto, a seat hingedly connected to the chair at its forward edge, a connection between the rear portion of the seat and the auxiliary legs, and means for locking the seat in either of its extreme positions.

8. In a convertible chair, the combination of rocker members, auxiliary legs carried by the rear of the chair and vertically movable with respect thereto, a seat hingedly connected to the chair at one of its edges, resilient means for holding the seat normally in its uppermost position, a connection between the movable portion of the seat and the auxiliary legs, and means for locking the seat in either of its extreme positions.

9. In a convertible chair, the combination of rocker members, auxiliary legs carried .by the rear of the chair and vertically movable with respect thereto, a seat hingedly connected to the chair at its forward edge, resilient means for holding the seat normally in its uppermost position, a connection between the rear portion of the seat and the auxiliary legs, and means for locking the seat in either of its extreme positions.

10. In a convertible chair, the combination of rocker members, auxiliary legs carried by the rear of the chair and vertically movable with respect thereto, a seat hingedly connected to the chair at one of its edges, resilient means for normally holding the seat in its uppermost position, a connection between the portion of the seat opposite to that hingedly connected to the chair and the auxiliary legs, means for locking the seat in either of its extreme positions, and means for releasing said locking means.

11. In a convertible chair, the combination of rocker members carried. thereby, posts vertically slidably connected at the rear of the chair, a cross member connecting said posts, the lower ends of said posts being adapted when in their lowermost position to project below the rocker members, a seat hingedly connected at its forward end to the chair, projections carried by the rear edge of the seat and extending into engagement with the said cross member, and means for locking said seat from movement with respect to the chair.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SALVATORE BATTAGLIA.

In the presence of- STANLEY W. 0001:, MARY Y. ALLEN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

